#79 Gutmann, Barmer and the Reliquary of Verisimilitude

The Brigadier's still-beating heart squirted blood all over Tzorl Gutmann's robes as he held it aloft, high up atop the Reliquary of Verisimilitude. His assistant the Padre droned his own spells in discordant harmony, amplifying the Reliquary's necromantic energies. As the gore streamed down his uplifted arm, Gutmann's chanting rose to its terrible crescendo and the body of the Freeguild Brigadier twitched into unlife.

"Lady Courtesy," called the necromancer, "it is done. May I present to you the Sentinel of the Cenotaph! Behold the creature by which the Heisenbergs shall take rightful control of the Reformed Society of the Sanguine Rose!"

Countess Zkyla Heisenberg was nonplused. "It appears to be another deadwalker zombie."

After countless years of service, Gutmann was well used to his mistress's disdain and was not cowed. "Yes, it is indeed a deadwalker. But in life, this was Brigadier Barmer of the Glymmsmen, one of their greatest and most popular officers," (the Countess still did not seem impressed) "recently captured by Boritz, and freshly slain according to rites of my own devising! Rites that will ensure the deadwalkers known as the Repentant Glymmsmen will rally to him in undeath, even as they did in life!"

The Countess raised an eyebrow. if Tzorl was right (and she knew he usually was), this Brigadier Barmer would indeed be most useful to her. The recent missive from the Mistress of the Hunt was playing on her mind: she needed to regain dominance over Lady Beauvoir and her Bloody Pilgrims.

That was why she had instructed Gutmann to construct the Reliquary of Verisimilitude, a repurposed arcane machine stolen from Glymmsforge by Heisenberg agents. It was her 'gift' to the necromancer called the Hermit of Barfunweltz, the religious fanatic who controlled the Reformed Society. In reality, it was her first step in shifting his allegiance from the Legion of Blood to the Vyrkos dynasty.

"A Dawnbringer Crusade is being gathered within the walls of Glymmsforge. The Bloody Pilgrims will of course attempt to disrupt it as it traverses Barfunweltz. We shall send the Padre upon the Reliquary, and this Brigadier Barmer to join the Repentant Glymmsmen. Thus we shall infiltrate the Reformed Society and keep an eye on Lady Beauvoir's activities."

She glanced at the deadwalker Brigadier. "Does it understand my orders, Gutmann? Can it speak?"

Tzorl remained silent but turned to the zombie. Its mouth worked, fresh gore dribbling and bubbling from its maw. Suddenly, it spluttered, fixed the Countess with glowing dead eyes and rasped, "Yes... we... can."

* * *

Boritz slipped the scrap of parchment into the crack between the ancient stones. In a few hours, Khamronn would collect it and the Brotherhood of Mannfred would know their suspicion had been confirmed. He had extracted the necessary information from the Brigadier before delivering him to the Heisenberg necromancer. The Glymmsman officer's knowledge had died with him and only the agents of the Legion of Night knew the truth: the identity of the Fifth Petal of the Rose.

#80 BATTLE XIII - THE AMBUSH OF THE AMBUSHERS